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The Duke Family

This guide is a starting point for learning about the Duke family, their role in the founding of Duke University, and their papers and collections housed at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Rubenstein Library

Rubenstein Library Entrance

David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

General Contact Information:

Rubenstein Library, Main Floor
Box 90185
Durham, NC 27708
919-660-5822
AskRL@duke.edu
http://library.duke.edu/rubenstein/

 

Related Websites & Online Resources

Duke Family Residences

  • The Duke Homestead: Now a historical site in Durham, NC, the homestead is where the Duke family lived and started their tobacco business following the civil war.  The site is open to the public and includes a small museum about tobacco farming and the Durham region's importance to the tobacco industry.

Duke Family Philanthropies

Durham History

  • Bridging Rails to Trails: A multimedia website about the American Tobacco Trail, including study guides for teachers and students.
  • Digital Durham: Digitized manuscripts, maps, photographs, and printed materials about Durham or by Durham citizens from the 1870s through the 1920s. Many of the materials digitized here are from the Rubenstein Library's collections.
  • Open Durham: Historical information about Durham buildings and neighborhoods.

Other Relevant Websites

  • The Roney Fountain: Genealogical information about the Roney family, descendants of Washington Duke's second wife, Artelia.